CS/IT Project Development 2017

Submission Instructions

Submitting Documents on Subversion

Documents (such as project concept, requirements and presentations) are submitted by committing them to your Subversion repository in the doc directory. For submission you must deliver both the source document (e.g. .doc, .odt, .tex; there may even be multiple source files) as well as the PDF. That is, for each submission there must be at least two files with the same base name, but different extension. One extension must be .pdf and the other should be the source format you used, e.g. .docx, .ppt, .odt, .tex. The base names for files MUST be as follows.

For deliverable reports:

project-concept

requirements-specification

design-specification

system-manual

For presentations:

mockup-presentation

prototype-presentation

progress-presentation

demo-presentation

final-presentation

For example, at the end of the Semester 1 group XX1 in 2015 may have the following files in the projects repository:

Note that some of the deliverables are living documents: you submit an initial version, and later submit an updated/final version. In such cases SVN automatically keeps track of the versions. Do NOT use two different files - they have the same name.

After the deadline for submission passes, the latest version of each file in the repository will be automatically copied. This is the version that will be distributed to and assessed by faculty members. The copying process will be automatic by software, and hence the naming of the file is important. Misnamed files or no files on SVN will be treated as if you did not submit.

Normally the deadline for report submission on SVN will be some time before the presentations (i.e. your report must be finished before the presentation). The deadline for presentation submission will be about 1 day after the presentations (giving you time to prepare your slides up until your presentation starts).

In SVN you should not normally commit PDF documents (instead commit only the source like .doc). However submission is an exceptional case where you must commit both the source and PDF version. The PDF version will be distributed to faculty members for assessment.

Submitting Hardcopies

When you give a presentation (e.g. final proposal, midterm report, final report) you must also deliver one (1) printed version of your report to the judging committee at the start of your presentation session. You do not need to give a printed version of your report to the project coordinator or advisor (unless they specifically ask for it). You do not need to give a printed version of your slides.

Submitting to your Advisor

The PDF version of your report you submit on SVN will be made available to your advisor. It is between you and your advisor on what else (and when) you submit to the advisor. For example, they may ask you to also give them a printed copy. Please discuss with your advisor.

Submitting Files and Code

At the end of the project you must submit all the files relevant for your project (e.g. source code, web pages, databases, images). Submission is via SVN, i.e. you commit the files to your SVN repository. When the deadline for submission passes, your SVN repository will be locked preventing you from adding/changing/deleting any files. There may be some files that need to be submitted that are not appropriate for storing in SVN (e.g. 1GB video files or databases). They can be submitted by copying them to your account on ICT server. Contact the project coordinator if you think this is necessary, or you have a reason for not using SVN (e.g. confidential files).

What should you submit? Your files on SVN should be sufficient for another group (e.g. next year) to both use your system (e.g. execute your program, deploy and access your website) and modify your system (e.g. change the source code). It is recommended that you give brief instructions of how to use your system and the arrangement of files in your README file:

Contributions

Each group must complete the contributions form at the end of the project. This form must be signed by all group members and the advisor, and the hardcopy submitted before your final presentation (either submit direct to project coordinator or submit to your committee at the start of your presentation session). Failure to submit a completed form will result in a penalty for all group members.

Late Submissions

In most cases, submission involves using SVN and the collection of submitted files is automatic. If your file is not in the correct location in SVN repository when the automatic collection starts, it will be treated as if the file was not submitted. Late submissions will not be accepted. Excuses like the following will be ignored:

"I named my file MyGroupsProposal.doc." (wrong file name)

"I have the file on my computer but forgot to upload to the SVN repository."

"My partner was supposed to upload the file but (s)he was sick." (its a group project; everyone is responsible for submission)

"My hard drive failed last night." (you should already have a version of the file in SVN)

"I emailed you the file instead of uploading to SVN."

"I forgot my password so couldn't upload."

"I was uploading to SVN 5 minutes before the deadline but the server was slow and it didn't upload in time." (don't leave everything until the last minutes)

The ICT server may be slow during heavy usage periods, e.g. 1 or 2 hours before a deadline. This is not necessarily a valid reason for missing the deadline. You should have at least a draft version of files in SVN well before the deadline. In fact you should plan to submit 1 or 2 hours before the deadline to avoid any problems. However if the ICT server is unaccessable for all students for an extended period of time, then the deadline may be extended.